# Paul Gaynor

> Paul Gaynor is the Boston-based CEO and co-founder of Longroad Energy, a utility-scale renewable-energy developer, owner and operator. Trained as a mechanical engineer and later in finance, he moved from selling and financing power plants at GE to building First Wind, serving at SunEdison, and reuniting with former colleagues to start Longroad in 2016. His career is a study in turning development skill, durable partnerships and patient capital into operating solar, wind and battery-storage assets.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Longroad Energy
- **Organizations:** Longroad Energy, First Wind, SunEdison, Noble Power Assets, Singapore Power, PSG International, GE Energy Financial Services, GE Power Systems, WindESCo, Resurety
- **Education:** BS, Mechanical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MBA, Finance and Economics, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded and led First Wind, which was acquired by SunEdison and TerraForm Power in a transaction valued at $2.4 billion., Co-founded Longroad Energy in 2016 with three former First Wind colleagues., Helped build Longroad to a reported 5.8 GW operating portfolio by July 2026.

## Career timeline

- **1987** — Graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and began his power-sector career, including work selling power plants at GE.
- **1990s-2003** — Held energy leadership and finance roles including GE Capital, PSG International, Singapore Power and Noble Power Assets.
- **2004** — Co-founded First Wind and became its CEO.
- **2015** — Joined SunEdison as an executive vice president after SunEdison and TerraForm Power acquired First Wind.
- **2016** — Co-founded Longroad Energy with Michael Alvarez, Peter Keel and Charles Spiliotis.
- **2019** — Became a board member of WindESCo.
- **2022** — Longroad announced a strategy to develop and retain a larger portfolio of operating renewable assets.
- **2026** — Continued as CEO as Longroad broadened its executive team and reported 5.8 GW in its operating portfolio.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and led First Wind, which was acquired by SunEdison and TerraForm Power in a transaction valued at $2.4 billion.
- Co-founded Longroad Energy in 2016 with three former First Wind colleagues.
- Helped build Longroad to a reported 5.8 GW operating portfolio by July 2026.
- Testified before the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 about clean energy, jobs and wind development.
- Built a career spanning power-plant engineering and sales, project finance, development, ownership and operations.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Longroad broadened its executive leadership team; Gaynor remained CEO with enterprise leadership, board accountability and strategic direction.
- **2025-12** — Gaynor and co-founder Pete Keel discussed policy change, capital access and Longroad's growth plan on CIBC's The Energy Shift podcast.
- **2025-03** — Infratil reported Longroad's 1.5 GW annual growth target, a 28 GW development pipeline through 2032 and a long-term power agreement with Meta for the 1000 Mile solar project.
- **2023-11** — Longroad secured $600 million in debt financing to support its shift toward owning and operating more projects.

## Links

- Website: https://www.longroadenergy.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-gaynor-9094a027/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/longroadtweet
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/longroadenergy/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/paul-gaynor
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-27